


Welcome Home - Rick Grimes x Reader Story

by pandasfandomstories



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, One Shot, Rescue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-05-09 11:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5538380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandasfandomstories/pseuds/pandasfandomstories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rick Grimes is out on a supply run, he comes across you in an old house. When he takes you back to his camp, you work to earn your place in the group. Will something more come out of you and Rick?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys for the support and for asking me to continue this story! <3

You had been on the road for about two weeks now. You were with a group of people from your town, but when a herd hit, you got separated. Your backpack full of canned foods and water had dwindled down to a can of peaches, and about a third of water left in one bottle. You needed to find supplies, and you needed to find them fast.

The Georgia heat was slowing you down, and you took your flannel off, tying it around your waist. Just as your legs started to buckle underneath you, you spotted a large field with a small farm house on the other side. You smiled and looked up to the sky, winking some towards the heavens. You mustered up enough strength to get to the house. As you got there, you sat on the porch and rested your legs, before checking out the inside to see if walkers were inside.

When you got some more strength in you, you stood up and peered into the dusty windows. No one seemed to be in the house, but you wanted to be sure. You walked around the house to the back door and pried it open with a rusted hammer that was left in the yard. You got the door open, and took the hammer and knocked on the wall four times and waited. After about ten minutes and no sign of walkers or people, you stepped inside to check the house. It was a bit run down, but you were in no position to turn down a place to rest. You heard a low rumble of thunder, and decided to use the rain to your advantage. You placed a few water bottles outside to catch the falling rain. After you did that, you got a rock with some mud on it and wrote the words “DEAD INSIDE” on the door. This was your tactic to lead any other living people away from you. You hated being alone, but after your last run in with other living people, you weren’t in the mood to add to your group.

As the storm died down, you went to collect your half-full water bottles. As you made your way inside, you heard a loud thud upstairs. It was enough to make you grab for the knife on your hip, dropping one of the bottles and making a crinkling noise. You muttered some profanities under your breath and looked around the kitchen wall to the staircase. As you made your way upstairs, your heart was racing a mile a minute. You weren’t sure what was up there, and if it was alive or dead.

When you made it to the bedroom that the sound came from, you took a deep breath and bit your bottom lip. You poked your head inside and didn’t see anything but an open window. You hadn’t paid much attention when you searched the rooms earlier, so you weren’t sure if it was open when you went up there.

You walked over to the window and shut it carefully. Before you turned around, you heard a raspy voice speak, causing a chill to go down your spine.

“Don’t move.” The man spoke. “Drop the knife, and turn around slowly with your hands up.” He ordered.

You weren’t one to protest, and you were always one to try and avoid conflicts. When you heard the click of a gun being prepared to shoot, you went into negotiation mode. “Alright, I’m going to set my knife on this table here, and then turn around.” You say and slowly set your knife on the side table underneath the window.

“Hands up, and turn around. Don’t think I won’t shoot you.” The man spoke, with a strong southern drawl.

“Just take it easy. I’m not going to try anything.” You assured the man. You turned slowly with your hands up. Your eyes went across the floor and looked at the man in front of you, from his boots all the way up his black jeans and white t-shirt. You looked up his stubbly chin and to his piercing blue eyes which were focused on you.

When the man saw you, he softened his expression slightly. You must have looked weak, because he lowered his gun after he looked you up and down. “Are you alone?” he asked in a slightly less threatening tone.

You nodded, keeping your hands up. “I lost my group in a herd. I checked this house and it’s clear. Any food they had is in my bag and if you’re willing to let me go, I’ll give you half.” You bargained.

He lowered his gun all the way, and took a step forward towards you. “I’m going to check you for any other weapons.” He said.

You allowed him to pat you down, as you stayed silent. When his hands brushed over your outer thigh, you let out a wince which caused him to immediately straighten up and look you in the eyes.

“Are you bit?” he asked with a tone of urgency in his voice.

You shook your head quickly, “No, no I’m not bit. I got caught in some barbed wire and cut my leg about a week back. It’s just tender.” You told him. “I’ll show you, but you should at least buy me dinner first.” You joked. Your strong suit was always making light of serious situations, and you hoped it didn’t bite you in the butt this time.

He nodded, ignoring your joke. “I believe you.” He said. “You’re all alone and you only got a knife on you?” he asked as he moved to pick it up off of the table to examine it. “A crappy one at that.” He added.

“I don’t know how to use a gun, and that was all I could find at my last camp.” You said.

He nodded and handed the knife to you. “You should learn to shoot. It’ll do you some good in case of large herds.” He said. “What’s your name?” he asked.

You held your hand out to him carefully and told him, introducing yourself. Something about him felt warm, now that he didn’t have a gun on you.

He shook your hand firmly, “I’m Rick.” He said. “So you have no place to go, no gun, and a backpack full of food?” he asked.

You nodded, feeling like you were being scolded by your father. “I thought that would be enough.” You said softly.

He watched you for a few moments, until his thought was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder which caused you both to tense up. “Well I’m not travelling in that and neither are you. We’ll wait until it passes and then figure something out.” He said and led you downstairs.

You watched him walk and found yourself feeling glad that he came in. You’re not sure how or when he got in, but you were glad he was there. You both spend the next two hours getting to know each other, or as much as you would tell one another. You were quite guarded, and you could tell he was pretty careful as well. You found out that he was a sheriff, and that he had a son and a baby girl. You told him that you were separated from your group in a herd, and that you had had a run in with a rough group that you almost didn’t get out of. You felt comfortable with Rick, and you even got a few smiles out of him. Part of you hoped that he would invite you back to his group with him, but you weren’t going to hold your breath.

When the rain stopped, you both got your things, and went outside. You grabbed a bag from inside the house, and started splitting your food and water, to give him half. Just as you started taking cans out of your bag, you felt a hand on your shoulder, causing you to look up at Rick.

“I know you said you could handle yourself, but I can’t let myself let you go out there by yourself.” He said.

“Rick, I’ll be okay. I don’t have much to add to your group, I can’t even shoot a gun.” You reminded him. 

He smiled softly, “I can show you. We have a place, a guarded place. There’s food, water, showers, doctors, other people. Good people.” He added. “We can find a place for you.”

You thought for a moment, and didn’t know what to do. This man was offering you a safe place. You hadn’t seen this type of kindness in a long time, and all you could do was throw your arms around his neck and hug him as tight as you could.

Stumbling back a bit, Rick wrapped his arms around your waist, hugging you back. He put a hand on the back of your head gently. “I’m gonna take care of you.” He promised.

You nodded and pulled back to meet his gaze. “Thank you. I’ll pull my weight I swear. You won’t ever have to ask me to do something twice.” You said quickly.

“I know you will. Let’s get moving, it’s gonna be dark soon.” He said and grabbed your backpack to carry for you.

You touched his arm gently, and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Rick.” You said simply, but sincerely.

He smiled, nodding to your thanks. “You’re welcome, ma’am.” He winked.

You both headed across the field, and towards the place Rick had called Alexandria. The entire way there, you two talked, and you got him to open up more to you. As the sun began to set, you came upon the gates surrounding Alexandria.

Rick looked over to you and smiled warmly. “Welcome home, Y/N.”


	2. First Day in Alexandria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first day in Alexandria.

It had been just one day now since Rick Grimes took you into his camp, which he called Alexandria. When you got there the night before, you arrived a few hours before sundown, so you spent most of the evening getting checked for bites or bruises by a woman named Carol, and getting a real shower. That night, Rick gave you a room in the house he was staying in. You didn’t really have time to meet anyone yesterday, and chose to eat dinner in your room. You still felt like you were imposing on their camp, so you kept to yourself the first night. This morning, you got dressed and went into the kitchen to help Carol and Maggie make breakfast for everyone in the two houses that sat next to each other in the remains of the neighborhood.

There were some makeshift fences that closed four houses into a gated camp. There was a fairly large field, and next to that there was a decent sized fire pit. Rick hadn’t given you the full tour, or explained why they blocked off the rest of the neighborhood from their houses, but you assumed the fire pit was for cooking.

After you helped with breakfast, Rick let you eat quickly before taking you on a perimeter check with him. You finished your food pretty fast, and grabbed a bottle of water. You walked outside and met Rick in the front yard of the house. He was standing in a black and dark gray flannel with the sleeves rolled up at the elbows. He had his dark jeans on, and had his hands on his belt. You walked over to him and waved a little bit.

“Morning.” You greeted him.

He looked over to you and stared at you for a moment. He hadn’t really had the time to stop and look at you when you were cleaned up and not drenched in sweat, blood and dirt. He smirked to himself and cleared his throat. “Good morning. Did you sleep alright?” he asked you.

You felt your cheeks turning a light shade of pink from Rick staring at you, and you hoped that the sun shining on you two masked it. “I slept like a baby. I haven’t really had a place that I felt safe enough to sleep.” You admitted.

Rick nodded to you. “Well I’m glad you felt safe. You can follow me around for the first part of the check, and then I can show you around.” He said and walked with you.

You followed him around the gates and walls and watched the things he checked for. You made mental notes of the things he mentioned and told you to check.

Rick finished his check and then gave you the tour of the place, letting you know where everything was. “It used to be a lot bigger.” He said after telling you how they got there.

You nodded to him and bit your bottom lip. “I know it’s not really my place to ask, but what happened?” you asked.

Rick looked at you and then shrugged. “Shit happened.” He said softly.

You decided not to press him any further on the subject. “So what kind of job do you want me to do here?” you asked him, changing the subject.

“For starters you can work with Carol in the kitchen, and help watch Judith. Once you’re more comfortable we can work you into the rotation for perimeter checks.” He said and then put his hands on his hips.

You nodded, accepting his plan for you. “I know I won’t be much help on runs unless I learn to shoot.” You noted.

He nodded and looked you up and down before nodding again as if responding to his thoughts. “I’ll teach you. Just about everyone here knows how to shoot a gun, but I’d prefer to be the one teaching you.” he said.

“Thank you, Rick.” You said softly. “Not just for teaching me, but thank you for bringing me here to this place. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you didn’t…” you started.

Rick interrupted you, “You’re welcome.” He said simply. “Let’s head back and get you workin’.” He said.

You smiled up at him and walked with him back to the main house. Rick got you set up working with Carol for the day, and headed off to meet with Daryl. You spent the rest of the afternoon helping Carol and making sure Judith was always being watched by someone. You tried not to overstep your boundaries, but you also wanted to show Rick and his group that you could be trusted. There was something about Rick that intrigued you and made you feel like you belonged in this group. You hadn’t put your finger on it yet, but you would soon. You just didn’t know it yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this! Let me know what you think and if you're liking this so far!


	3. Lessons Before Shooting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise update! I wasn't going to do this this week, but decided that I needed to update and I was in a Rick mood. This chapter is a bit longer than the others, but I hope this is okay. :)

A week after you were welcomed into Alexandria, you were learning the ropes and really pulling your weight. You would help Carol with meals, and watch Rick’s daughter Judith when everyone else was on a run. Whenever there was a minor chore that needed to be done, you volunteered to take the job. Rick seemed to be impressed with the fact that you were so eager to prove that you belonged here.

One day, as you were feeding Judith, you heard the front door to Rick’s house open and close. You heard Carl, Rick’s son, talking about going on the next run. Rick’s voice followed, trying to convince Carl that he needed to stay at Alexandria. When they entered the kitchen where you had Judith in her highchair, she immediately smiled and started waving her arms.

Carl walked over, smiling at his baby sister. “Hi. Look at you all happy to see me.” He teased, rubbing a finger over her cheek. “Was she okay? Did she fuss or anything?” he asked, taking the role of dad for a moment.

You couldn’t help but smile up at him. “She was a doll. She didn’t fuss at all.” You told him and caught Rick smirking behind him.

“Good.” He said, smiling.

Rick walked over to the three of you and pat Carl on the back. “Why don’t you take over feeding time, and I’ll take Y/N to the gun locker.”

You looked up at Rick and nodded, handing the jar of baby food to Carl. You stood up and smiled down at Judith, waving to her. “Bye sweetheart.” You said sweetly, earning a giggle from the baby.

Rick walked you out of the house and towards a large shed near the open patch of grass behind the houses. He took a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the shed doors, opening them up. There were two workbenches inside covered in guns of different sizes and shapes. There were several crates of ammo in the corner, and a few bulletproof vests hanging on the back wall. You looked around and bit your bottom lip. You had rarely seen a gun up close, and you had certainly never seen this many guns. Rick noticed the unsure look on your face and smiled softly.

“Don’t worry, they can’t hurt you unless someone pulls the trigger.” He said. He reached onto the workbench and grabbed a black handgun and a small cardboard box.

“I know.” You said and looked around. “I just haven’t seen this many in one place before.”

He nodded and walked out of the shed, locking it behind him, and nodded towards a card table and two chairs. “Let’s go have a seat.”

You nodded and followed him, taking a seat in one of the chairs. “So am I going to shoot today?” you asked him.

“Not until you learn a bit more about your weapon. First step is knowing how it works and how to keep it clean.” He said.

You furrowed your brow at Rick as he sat down across from you. “Isn’t it more efficient for me to learn to shoot sooner?” you asked him. “I want to help.” You added.

Rick looked up at you and smirked. “I know that you’re eager to work and help out, but I want you to be safe out there. Until you work up to shooting, I’ll keep an eye on you.” he said.

You felt a flutter in your stomach when he said that. You hadn’t felt that in a long time, and it caught you by surprise. You shook it away and nodded to him. “Deal.” You said.

Rick set the handgun in front of you, and took his pistol off of its holster setting it on the table. “Okay, first of all, turn the safety on.” He said.

You studied the gun and moved your hand to a small lever, and then looked at Rick to make sure you were going to the right piece.

“You got it.” He said.

You switched it and a confident smile came across your face.

Rick smirked at your smile and nodded. “Alright, now we’re going to take them apart and put them together again to get them cleaned.”

You listened to everything Rick instructed, and followed his actions very closely. You wanted to learn as quickly as possible so that you could start pulling your weight outside of the camp. Rick smiled a bit more than usual when he saw your clear eagerness to learn. Every once in a while you would catch him staring at you, which made that unfamiliar flutter come back. You tried to push the flutter deep into yourself and focus on the task at hand.

After a good hour of teaching, taking the guns apart, cleaning them, and putting them back together, Rick gave you a smile and nodded, proud of you. “Alright, well that should do it for today. You’re learning pretty quick, Y/N.”

You smiled back at him and nodded. “Well I have a great teacher.” You told him.

Rick smirked and stood up, putting your gun back into the shed along with the cleaning box. He put his gun into its holster and locked the shed up, looking over at you.

You noticed he was watching you while he was locking up, so you decided to speak up. “Yes?”

He shook his head, shrugging gently. “Nothin’.” He said and walked over to you. “You only had a little pocket knife with you when I found you.” he noted.

You thought back and nodded. “It was the one my dad gave me on my sixteenth birthday. Wanted me to stay safe around the boys.” You said, thinking back to your father and life before the apocalypse.

He nodded and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “Well it’s a good knife, but I think you’ve earned your right to a decent knife.” He said. “Come with me.” He said.

You followed him back to his house and waited on the porch while he went inside to get something. You played with the hem of your shirt, noticing all of the grease on your hands from the gun. You wiped your hands on your jeans and heard the door opening and closing. Rick emerged from the house with a knife in his hand, along with a holster.

“It’s not much bigger than yours, but it’s definitely stronger and easier to deal with.” He said, putting the blade into the holster and handing them both to you.

You looked at the knife and then at him, taking it gently. “Rick, you don’t have to do this.” You said softly.

“I know I don’t, but it makes me feel better knowing you have protection.” He said. “Make a habit of keeping it with you at all times. Carl has an old armchair somewhere around here that he practiced on. Get a feel of the blade and know how much strength you have to put behind it if you ever need to.”

You nodded and held the holster close. “Thank you, Rick.” You said.

“No problem.” He said. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up and…”

“Help Carol with lunch?” you finished his sentence, smiling softly.

“Yeah.” He smirked.

“I’ll see you at lunch.” You said and headed down the porch steps and down the sidewalk.

“Y/N?” Rick spoke up.

You stopped and turned to look back at him. “Yeah?”

“You know you don’t have to thank me for everything. I know you’re appreciative, I can tell by your effort.” He said.

You noticed that his words were drenched in sincerity, and you gave him a smile. “I’ll try to control myself.” You teased. “See you later, Rick.”

He nodded and waved to you.

You continued walking to the house that they let you stay in. It was a small one bedroom house, and the entire upstairs was being used as a dumping ground for the furniture, supplies, and weapons that no one needed anymore. You set your new knife on the couch and went to the bathroom to wash the grease and dirt off of your hands. You started to think of the fluttering feeling that Rick gave you. Why was he the one to bring this out of you after all of that time? Were you just warming up to him because he was the first person to show you kindness in months? Maybe this was a genuine feeling. Even if it was genuine, you tried to push it away, not wanting to get too excited. Rick had his own problems to worry about for now, and you didn’t want to add to them. You finally felt like you were earning a permanent place with these people, and you certainly didn’t want to ruin that.


	4. Proving Yourself

After lunch, Carol took care of the cleanup and had you take a perimeter check. You headed out the door and started walking towards the fence to start your check. Your knife was on your hip in its holster, just in case anything happened. You walked around the perimeter of Alexandria and made sure everything was secure.

When you got all the way around, you noticed two walkers that got past the wooden traps. They were right against the fence chomping their jaws at you and reaching through the bars of the gate. You looked around and saw that everyone was still on lunch break, leaving you out there on your own. You looked at the walkers and took a deep breath. You hadn’t gotten the chance to kill any walkers the entire time you had been there. You grabbed one of the walkers by the shirt and pulled your knife out of its holster. You drove the blade into the skull of the walker, causing it to stop before collapsing to the ground as you removed your knife. The second walker grabbed onto your arm, causing you to gasp and try to pull away. You put the knife in your left hand and drove it into the walker’s head. Its hand released your arm as it collapsed onto the ground outside of the fence.

“Nice try.” You mumbled to the walker that had grabbed your arm.

“You know they can’t talk back, right?” a familiar voice spoke from behind you. You turned to see Daryl Dixon standing by you.

“I know.” You told him, a bit embarrassed. “Are you the next patrol for the gate?” you asked him, putting your knife back into the holster.

He nodded to you. “Did you see anything on your check?” he asked.

“No, just these two.” You said looking at the two walkers.

“Alright well thanks for taking care of ‘em.” He said. He looked over your shoulder and smirked. “Hey Rick, we got a sniper on our hands.” He joked.

You turned to see Rick walking towards the two of you. “Not exactly a sniper.” You said.

Rick smirked at you and then looked down at the two walkers. “Did you do that?” he asked you.

You nodded. “I didn’t want to just start screaming for someone so I took care of it.” You told him.

He smiled at you and nodded. “Well thank you. Anything major on the perimeter check?” he asked you.

“Just these guys; everything else looked good.” You told him.

“Good. Listen why don’t you take the day and relax, I’ve got a big project for you tomorrow.” He told you.

You felt a tiny nervous twinge in your stomach. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” you asked, trying to joke.

He smirked. “Stop by after dinner and I’ll explain everything to you.” he said. “It’s not a bad thing, I promise.”

You nodded and smiled up at him. “Okay. Well I’ll see you guys later then.” You told him and waved to Daryl.

You walked back towards the house and headed inside to take a shower. You set your knife on the counter and got a change of clothes out of your bag. You grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom to shower. After you showered, you got your blue jeans on and a white V-neck t-shirt. You decided to lay down for a nap before dinner. As you lay on the couch, you couldn’t help but think of your shooting lesson with Rick. You couldn’t help but smile when you thought about him. As soon as your smile came across your face, you let out a sigh.

“He’s not into you that way, Y/N.” you said out loud to yourself. “He probably just sees you as another survivor.” You said. You brought your hands to your face and sighed. “Get a grip.” You mumbled.

You ended up dozing on the couch and slept until you heard a knock on your door. You jumped awake and sat up quickly. You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and heard Glenn’s voice outside the door.

“Y/N? Are you okay in there?” he asked.

“Uh yeah, I’m fine.” You yelled. You got up and pushed your hair back into a ponytail. You opened the door and smiled. “Hey, what’s up?” you asked.

“Hey. Dinner is just about ready and no one saw you so Rick sent me over to check on you.” Glenn said.

“Oh yeah I must have dozed off on the couch. I’ll get my shoes on and head over there.” You told him.

“Okay. See you then.” He said and headed back towards the “community house” where dinners were held.

You slid your boots on and walked down the sidewalk to the house. You walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. Carl let you inside and you apologized for being late. As you walked in, you saw Rick standing with Daryl. When he saw you, you noticed a look of relief on his face. You told yourself that it was just your imagination, and took your seat at the table with everyone.

After dinner, you took care of the cleanup with Maggie. The two of you talked about things you could help out with. Once everything was clean, you noticed that everyone had cleared out except for the two of you. You said goodbye to her and headed over to Rick’s house to find out about the project. With each step you took, you felt butterflies starting up again. You kept trying to shove them off and remind yourself that it was just a meeting. You got to the door and knocked gently, but loud enough for someone to hear.

Carl opened the door in pajamas, holding Judith who was in her pajamas too. “Hey Y/N. What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Hey, your dad wanted me to stop by to talk about a project he has for me tomorrow.” You told him.

“Oh okay. Well he’s upstairs in the shower. You can come in and wait for him, I’m gonna go put Judith to bed.” He said.

“Okay.” You said and walked inside. You put your hands in your back pocket as Carl headed up the stairs.

“Goodnight, Y/N.” he said over his shoulder.

“Night Carl.” You told him, smiling.

You would be lying if you said you weren’t thinking about Rick being in the shower one floor above you. You looked around the room to try and distract yourself while you waited. You noticed a picture of Carl and Judith on the mantle which made you smile to yourself. You knew that Rick loved his family and you couldn’t help but care about them too. Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard footsteps coming down the stairs. You turned around and saw Rick coming over in lounge pants and a t-shirt. His face was freshly shaven and his hair was still wet.

“Hey, thanks for coming.” He said. “Why don’t you have a seat on the couch?” he offered.

You nodded and sat on the couch with Rick sitting next to you. “So what’s up?” you asked him. You tried to hide the fact that you were a little nervous about his plans.

“I’ve been thinking today, and how you handled those walkers sort of sealed it.” He started.

You looked over at him and nodded. “Sealed what?” you asked him.

“Tomorrow I’m going out to check the traps we set down the road a ways. It’s a one person job, but I thought it would be good to get you out from behind the walls and get you out in the field.” He said, smirking over at you.

“You want me to go with you?” you asked him. There must have been a hint of surprise in your voice because Rick gave a soft laugh.

“Yeah, I do. I saw how you handled things out there today, so I figured this would be a good practice run. Plus then you’ll learn about the traps and what to do with them.” He said. “Are you okay with that?” he asked.

You nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I’m more than okay with that. I’m just glad you trust me enough to take me out there with you.” you told him.

He smirked and nodded. “Well you’ve really showed us that you can be an asset to the group. We just gotta get you comfortable with shooting, and you’ll be as tough as Daryl.” He joked.

You couldn’t help but laugh softly at his comment. “Well we’ll see about that. I really appreciate you giving me a chance, Rick. I know I still have work to be done but I really want to be useful to you guys.” You said.

Rick nodded and put his hand on your knee. “You’re already useful to us, Y/N. Teaching you to shoot is more about protection, not about making you more useful. I saw you out there today and you could handle yourself with a knife if you needed to.” He told you.

As soon as his hand hit your knee, you felt the butterflies start up again. You tried to focus on what Rick was saying, but it was hard. You got the gist of what he was saying so you nodded. “Well hopefully I won’t need to.” You said.

Rick smiled and nodded. “Hopefully not.” He said. “We should get some sleep. I wanna leave here right after breakfast.” He said, standing up and walking you to the door.

You nodded and walked with him. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” You told him. Part of you wanted to hug him, but you felt like things with Rick were in a good place right now and you didn’t want to push it.

“Yes you will. Sleep tight, okay?” he said, opening the door.

“I will. Goodnight Rick.” You smiled and walked down the porch steps and down the street to your house.

The entire walk home, all you could think of was Rick’s hand on your knee and how confident he was in your capabilities. When he found you, you were all alone with barely any food and a cheap pocket knife for protection. Now he was willing to take you outside of the walls on a run. He trusted that he would be okay out there with you, and that made you feel proud.

When you got home, you kicked your shoes off and headed down the hall to your bedroom. You slid your jeans off and traded them for a pair of pajama shorts. You turned the light off and slid into bed, curling up under your blanket and dozing off shortly after that. You weren’t sure what the morning had in store for you, but you know that as long as you were with Rick, you’d be okay.


	5. The Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this got a little lengthy. Hope you guys enjoy!

            The next morning, you got dressed in jeans and a white tank top, sliding your boots on. You left your hair down and headed over to eat breakfast with everyone. You tried to contain your excitement for the run and your nervousness about being alone with Rick since the day he found you. While you ate, you made small talk with Daryl and Maggie, and even goofed off a little bit with Carl. After you finished your food, you headed into the kitchen to help with the cleanup.

            “Y/N, don’t worry about it today, we have work to do.” Rick said from behind you.

            You turned and faced him, giving him a smile. “Okay.” You said.

  You gave your plate to Carol and walked out of the community house with Rick. He told you to get your knife and a couple of water bottles to take with you. While you went home to get your stuff, Rick went to his house to gather his supplies. You went into your house and got your backpack out of the closet and put three water bottles in the bag, a can of fruit cocktail, and your first aid kit. You zipped it up and grabbed your knife off of the table.

            As you were putting the holster on your hip, you heard a knock on your door. “Come on in.” you shouted to the visitor.

            Rick entered through the front door and waved. “You know you shouldn’t just let people in like that.”

            “Well I had a feeling it was you.” you told him, grabbing your backpack.

            “What if it wasn’t?” he asked.

            You put one backpack strap over your shoulder and smirked. “Next time I’ll open the door with knife in hand.” You said.

            Rick smirked back at you. “Or you could use the peephole.” He teased. “Let’s get goin’.”

  The two of you walked to the entrance of Alexandria and to one of the small cars that the group had acquired. You got into the passenger’s side and put your seat belt on, earning a smile from Rick when he got in.

            “What? Just because the world ended doesn’t mean car accidents can’t happen.” You told him.

            Rick smirked at you and nodded, then put his seat belt on. He started the car and waved to Eugene who opened the gate to let you both out. Rick drove the car past the two stake traps that were set outside of the gate to catch walkers.

            You looked at the road ahead and then saw the gate closing behind you in the rearview mirror. As you got further from the gate, you felt a tiny feeling of nervousness. You shifted in your seat and fidgeted with your backpack strap a little bit while you looked out the window.

            Rick must have noticed because he looked over at you. “The nerves are normal on your first run.” He said.

            You looked over at him and nodded, smiling softly. “I figured. It’s just kind of surreal. I haven’t been out of there in over a week. It’s kind of weird being out here again.” You explained.

            Rick nodded. “I get it. When we first got here, we almost got too comfortable in there…” he trailed off for a moment. “I’m glad you’re out here though.” He said, changing the subject.

            You nodded and smiled. “I am too.”

  Rick drove down the road until he came to a curve in the road. When he came around the bend, there was a large barrier blocking the road to Alexandria off to other drivers. He pulled up next to the wall and turned the car off. The two of you got out of the car and you followed Rick to the other side of the barrier where there were more stake traps. There were only three walkers on the traps and they were gnawing at the air trying to get free.

            “Normally we wait until these are full to clear them out, but since you’re in training today we’ll clear these guys out.” Rick said. He got his knife out of his pocket and drove it into the skull of one of the walkers, causing it to fall limp onto the stake. He pulled it off of the trap and laid him on the pavement. “You get the next two.”

            You got your knife out of the holster and set your backpack down on the ground by Rick’s feet. You drove the knife into the second walker’s head and pulled it off of the stake, laying it on the pavement just as Rick had done.

            “You got it. Be careful with the third one, she’s facing you.” he reminded you.

            You nodded and walked over to the third walker. You grabbed its neck and drove your knife into its skull. You wiped your knife off onto its shirt and put it back into the holster. You grabbed the walker’s arms to lift it off of the trap. As you pulled, both arms came off of the walker causing you to fall back onto your butt, blood spattering onto your shirt and face.

            Rick was at your side in a split second and knelt beside you. “Are you okay?” he asked, taking a bandana out of his back pocket.

            “Y-yeah just wasn’t expecting that.” You told him. You tossed the two severed arms next to the other walkers laying on the pavement.

            “Neither was I.” he said and unzipped your backpack to get a bottle of water. He poured some onto the bandana and began wiping your face gently. “I suppose I should have warned you about that.”

            You couldn’t respond to him because you were focused on how close he was to you. He rubbed the wet bandana on your cheeks gently and then on your forehead and down your nose, getting the blood off of your face. “Thank you.” you told him.

            He smirked and nodded. “No problem.” He said and caught your gaze. He stared at you for a moment, not realizing just how close he was to you. He shook out of it slightly and handed you the bandana. “Why don’t you clean up your arms and I’ll get armless?” he said and stood up.

  You wiped your arms and hands off and wrung the bandana out, shoving it halfway into your back pocket. You put the water back into your backpack and slid the straps onto your arms. Rick laid the third and final walker onto the pavement and wiped his hands on his jeans. He explained that there was a cliff nearby where they would dispose of the bodies. You grabbed the legs of a walker while he grabbed the arms and you both dragged it to the cliff, tossing the corpse over the edge. You did this for the next walker, and when it came time to the corpse that you unintentionally dismembered, Rick dragged the walker by its legs while you carried the arms. The two of you threw the parts and walker over the edge and wiped your hands. Rick looked to you and nodded in approval.

            “Good job today.” He said honestly.

            “Thank you.” you told him. “Thanks for not laughing when I fell.” You teased as the two of you walked back to the car.

            Rick smirked and nodded. “Well I’ve had my fair share of embarrassing things happen to me.”

            “I doubt it.” You told him.

            “I rode around my neighborhood on a bike in nothing but my boxers and a hospital gown.” He said.

            You looked at him and smiled at the image you painted in your head. “Okay but everyone was already gone, right?”

            He smirked and nodded. “Okay you got me there.”

  When you got to the car, you handed him a bottle of water and got into the passenger’s seat. Rick got into the driver’s seat and drank almost half the bottle. The heat of Atlanta was really beating down by the time you were done. When both of you were in the car and buckled, Rick turned the car around and headed back home.

            “Can I steal some of your fruit cocktail?” he asked.

            You smirked and nodded, getting the can out of your bag. You used your pocket knife to open the can and handed it to Rick.

            “Thank you.” he said and poured some of the fruit into his mouth like he was drinking a can of pop.

            “Anytime.” You told him. “Can I ask you something?” you asked him as he handed you the can back.

            “Of course.” He said, driving.

            You looked at the can and then at him. “Earlier, you started talking about how you got comfortable in Alexandria…what did you mean?” you asked him.

            Rick stared at the road for a moment before saying, “It’s nothing.” He said shortly.

            He had avoided the question before so you let it go once again. You poured some of the fruit cocktail into your mouth and looked out the window, not pressing the matter anymore.

  Rick finished the can of fruit off and tossed it out the window just as you pulled up to the gate. Eugene opened the gate again letting Rick pull in and park the car. You got out and put your backpack back on your back. Just as you were about to head back to your house, you felt a hand on your arm. You looked back to see Rick looking at you, about to say something.

            “What’s up?” you asked.

            He took a deep breath before finally answering you. “We got comfortable here because we thought it was safe. It wasn’t safe, and deep down I knew that but I wanted to believe that we had found a place that would hold up. A few walkers got in, and the old doctor, Pete ended up killing the previous leader’s husband.” He started.

            “Rick…” you tried to interject.

            “She asked me to kill him so I did. After all of that, we got back to normal and things were going alright. There was an attack by a group of people and a lot of people were killed. Not too long after that, the guard tower fell and knocked down out fence. An entire herd got in and filled the streets. We lost three people that night, and Carl could have been the fourth. A woman named Jessie, her sons Ron and Sam.” He said and looked at his hands.

            You had heard Carl mention Jessie and how she and Rick had gotten close. You had no idea that any of this had happened and all you wanted to do was make it better for Rick. You reached out and touched his arm gently. “I’m so sorry.” You told him softly.

            Rick nodded to you and looked into your eyes seeing the care in them. “I don’t want the same thing to happen again. I don’t want to lose anyone else.” He admitted.

            You hadn’t seen Rick this vulnerable, and all you could do was pull him into a tight hug. “You’re not going to lose anyone else. You’ve got a strong group here and they can pull together when push comes to shove.” You assured him.

            Rick’s arms wrapped around you and he nodded. “I’m sorry for unloading all of this on you after a week.” He said as he pulled away gently.

            “Hey don’t worry about it. You saw me bruise my ass, so I guess we’re even.” You said, trying to cheer him up.

            He smirked and nodded. “I guess so.” He said. “Thank you, Y/N.” he said sincerely.

            “Anytime.” You told him. “I’m gonna go get cleaned up and then see if Carol needs any help.”

            Rick nodded and grabbed his bag from the trunk. “If she doesn’t have anything to do, check with Maggie.” He said, getting back to normal as if he hadn’t told you anything.

            “You got it.” You told him and waved before heading to your house.

  When you got inside your house, you dropped your backpack and set your knife on the counter. All you could think about was Rick and what he must have been going through. You felt sorry for the guy and all of the loss he went through and all of the tough tasks he had to take care of. You couldn’t help but wonder if everything that happened at Alexandria before you got there was part of the reason Rick was so protective of you. You convinced yourself that that had to be the reason. He felt comfortable enough with you and trusted you enough to tell you about the past incidents at Alexandria, but you told yourself that it was just him looking for a friend. That was it. It had to be. Right?


	6. Target Practice

            It had been a few days since you went on the run with Rick. Ever since you got back, Rick seemed to be more open with you. The uncertainty of having you in the group disappeared, and the rest of the group seemed to be taking you in as one of their own. You helped out where you could whether that was cleaning, cooking, perimeter checks, or babysitting. When you weren’t working, Rick was training you in how to shoot a gun. You learned the basics and he showed you how to aim and how to shoot. Today’s practice was going to be shooting blanks that Daryl and Carl found while on a run. After you finished cleaning up from lunch, you headed to Rick’s house and knocked on the door. You put your hands in your back pockets while you waited for an answer.

            The door opened and Carl appeared. “Hey, Y/N. My dad’s putting Judith down for a nap and then he’ll be right down.” He said.

            You smiled and nodded. “Okay, well I’ll wait out here. I gotta get as much vitamin D as I can get.” You joked.

            “I can sit with you if you want.” Carl offered.

            “Alright, sure.” You said and sat on the porch steps with him. The sun shone through the trees onto both of you. “So how have things been?” you asked. Starting conversations in the apocalypse was harder than you would think.

            “They’ve been alright.” He said. “Is my dad letting you shoot today?” he asked.

            You nodded. “Yeah he’s letting me shoot those blanks that you and Daryl found.” You told him.

            Carl nodded and watched the leaves on the trees move in the wind. “So did you like your last group?” he asked.

            You looked over at him and smiled some, shrugging. “They were alright, but it was so different from this group. There were all of these rules and no one really talked to each other. With this group it’s like you’re all a family and you guys take care of each other.”

            Carl nodded and smiled softly. “Well you’re a good person and you contribute a lot to the group.” He said. “Plus you really make my dad happy.” He said and then looked at you. “I shouldn’t have said that.” He said.

            You looked at Carl and bit your lip some. “I didn’t hear anything.” You smiled softly. “Except the part about me being a good person.” You joked.

            Carl smiled and nodded. “Thanks.” He said.

  You heard the door open and close behind the two of you which caused you both to look back. Rick stood there in his black jeans and a grey button up with the sleeves rolled up. He had his gun in his holster and a black handgun in his hand.

            “You guys sharing the secrets to life?” he joked.

            You smiled and nodded. “Oh yeah, we’ve got it all figured out.” You teased, standing up.

            Carl stood up and nodded smirking. “I’ll go listen for Judith in case she wakes up.” He said. “Be careful out there.” He said and headed inside.

            Rick smirked and nodded. “You ready?”

            You nodded. “I was born ready.” You said, trying to stay serious.

  Rick smiled and walked you to the gun shed where he picked up the blanks. He then walked you to the field where he set up Carl’s practice chair. He set it up and walked over to you, handing you the black handgun.

            “This is what you’re shooting today.” He said. “Load her up and let me know when you’re ready.” He said, getting his silencer on.

            You put the blanks into the gun and nodded to Rick. “I’m ready.”

            “Alright you remember how I taught you to aim and how to hold the gun, so get into position.” He said.

            You stood straight and pointed your gun at the chair. You looked over to Rick to see if you were doing this right.

            “Almost.” He said and moved behind you, putting his hands on your biceps. “You want the gun at eye-level.” He said by your ear and lifted your arms gently. “Right there.” He said.

            You felt your heart rate pick up a little as he stood by you. You aimed the gun and nodded. “Okay I got it.” You said.

            Rick moved next to you and nodded. “Alright, careful of the kick back, shoot when you’re ready.” He said.

            You nodded and aimed your gun, pulling the trigger. The kick back wasn’t too bad and you smiled at your first attempt. You saw where your blank hit the chair and you looked to Rick, putting your gun down. “Was that okay?” you asked.

            He smiled and nodded, putting a few empty cans on the chair’s armrests and the top of the back. He walked back over and nodded to you. “See if you can shoot the cans down.” He said.

            You aimed the gun, making sure you were in the right position. You shot the first can knocking it off the chair. The second can flew off of the armrest as your blank hit it, and the third can flew straight up when you hit it. You smiled big and looked over at Rick, lowering your gun. “I did it.” You said happily.

            Rick smirked and nodded. “Congratulations.” He said. “Why don’t you practice a little bit more and then we’ll try real bullets tomorrow?”

  You nodded and continued to practice. You ended up practicing for about an hour and a half before you ran out of blanks. You helped clean up the mess of cans and couch stuffing before heading back to the gun shed. Rick put his silencer back in the shed and locked it up. He walked you back to your house, talking to you about potential practice places for you the following day. When you got to your porch, you turned to face him.

            “Thank you for teaching me to shoot, Rick.” You told him.

            He smirked and nodded. “It’s not a problem. Think of it as me savin’ your ass.” He joked.

            “Again.” You added, smiling.

            He nodded and smiled. “I’m sure you’ll make up for it.” He joked.

            You nodded and smiled. “How about I make some lemonade?” you suggested.

            He thought for a moment and then nodded. “Alright.” He said and smiled.

  You let him in and set the gun on the table. You got some lemonade mixed and poured him a glass with some ice in it. You brought him the glass and smiled.

            “There you go, sir.” You smiled.

            “Thank you.” he said and took a sip. “So what were you and Carl talking about?” he asked.

            You got a nervous feeling in your stomach as you remembered what Carl had told you. “He just asked about my old group and told me I was a good person.” You said.

            Rick smiled and nodded. “Well you are. You’re really earning your place here, Y/N.” he said sincerely.

            “Thank you. You guys are a good group and I’m glad I went with you that day.” You admitted.

            He nodded. “Me too.” He smiled softly.

  You felt butterflies in your stomach when he said that. He was glad that you came with him? It made the butterflies even worse when you thought about what Carl had said. He would know his dad better than anyone, wouldn’t he? Your thoughts were interrupted when you both heard a scream followed by gunshots.

            Rick looked out your window towards the gate. “Shit.” He said and set his glass down. “Stay here, and don’t come out until it’s safe.”

            “Safe? Rick I can help.” You said.

            “Y/N, stay here.” He said and left, shutting your front door behind him.

  You looked out the window and saw Spencer and Rosita trying to take out a group of walkers that had gotten in through the back gate which had been left open. You saw Rick going in to help, but more walkers kept coming. You couldn’t just stand there, even if Rick told you to stay put. You grabbed your knife and walked out the door. You would deal with Rick later, but right now the group needed your help.


	7. Walkers and Stitches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure about this one. >.

            You ran outside to where the walkers were coming in. Rosita and Spencer were taking some out with knives and machetes, while Rick used a hatchet. You began taking some of the walkers out with your knife and ignored Rick who yelled at you to get in the house. While Spencer and Rosita handled the bulk, you walked over to the fence and tried to get it closed but it was stuck. Rick took out a few walkers and made his way to you to help you close the gate.

            “I told you to stay inside.” Rick hissed.

            “Yeah well I’m here and helping.” You replied.

  The two of you yanked on the gate and got it to close. You turned and saw a walker behind Rick, but before you could say anything, the walker grabbed his arm, causing him to turn and fall into the fence. The walker got on top of him and got its teeth next to Rick’s neck. When Rick fell, he landed on his hatchet, so he had no weapon. You grabbed the walker’s back and drove your knife into its skull. When it stopped moving, you pulled it back and dropped it on the ground.

            Rick looked up at you in awe.

            You reached down and held your hand out. “Come on.” You said softly.

            He grabbed your hand and stood up, wincing slightly. “Ow, shit.” He mumbled.

            “Did you get bit?” you asked, having more worry in your tone than you intended.

            “No but I did fall on a blade.” He said and turned to look at his side where there was a large gash.

            You bit your bottom lip and saw the blood stain on his shirt. “Let’s get you patched up.” You said softly.

            He nodded and looked at Rosita and Spencer who had finished off the last walkers. “Get these bodies to the burn pile, I’ll be out to help in a bit.” He said.

  You grabbed the hatchet and walked Rick to the “medical house” where all of the first aid was. The group had lost both of their doctors, so it was sort of a “fend-for-yourself” hospital. You set the hatchet on the table and grabbed the large tackle box of first aid supplies. Rick sat on one of the beds and unbuttoned his shirt slowly, trying not to irritate his side anymore. You brought the kit over to him and set it on the bed next to him and helped him get his shirt off.

            Rick lifted his arm and looked down at the cut and sighed some. “Great.” He mumbled.

            You looked at him and then his side. “Alright that’s probably going to need stitches.” You said and got some gauze and peroxide to clean the cut up first. “This might sting a little.” You said and began to dab at the area around the cut, trying not to hurt Rick.

            Rick winced as soon as the peroxide hit the cut. He closed his eyes tightly, grabbing the edge of the bed.

            “I’m sorry.” You said softly as you dried the area. “Okay I’ve never done stitches before.” You said getting the kit that Denise already had set up.

            Rick looked at you with a slight fear in his eyes. “Alright it can’t be that hard right?” he asked. “Bring the stuff over here and we’ll figure it out.”

            You got the needle and thread ready, and then got some extra gauze to clean up any messes. “Would it be easier if you were lying down?” you asked. Having Rick shirtless in front of you was enough, so you had no idea how you would deal with a shirtless Rick who was lying on a bed in front of you, but you had to do what was needed.

            “Maybe.” He said and scooted back on the bed, then lay back on the bed. He put his arm behind his head to give you better access to the gash. “Make a knot on one end of the wire.” He said, putting a gauze pad on the cut and holding it there.

            You did as you were told and got the needle threaded. “Rick, I don’t want to hurt you worse than you are.” You said softly, standing next to the bed.

            “Hey, you’re not going to hurt me.” He reassured you. “Just stay close to the cut, but give enough room so the skin won’t tear.” Rick said.

            You nodded and got the needle ready. You took a deep breath and bit your bottom lip.

            “Y/N.” Rick spoke.

            You looked up at him trying not to show that you were petrified.

            “You’re going to do just fine.” He said softly. “Just relax and pretend I’m a pin cushion.” He smirked.

            You smiled some and nodded. When Rick moved the gauze pad, you pushed the needle in. You began stitching the gash up and felt more and more comfortable with each push of the needle.          

            Rick stayed still and quiet while you worked. “When you get to the end let me know so I can close it up. That part’s kind of tricky.” He said.

            When you got to the end, you leaned up. “Okay that’s the end.” You said.

            Rick explained how to close it off and when you finished, he took a scissors and snipped the thread. “That wasn’t too bad.” He said.

            “Yeah.” You said and cleaned up the mess. You were just glad it was over and that you didn’t further injure Rick.

            He sat up and hopped off of the bed gently. “I figure it had to be like sewing and Carol taught me how to do that at our last camp.” Rick explained.

            You nodded and washed your hands, then walked over to him. “Well you’re good to go. Try not to lay on anymore blades though, okay?” you smiled softly.

            He nodded and pulled his shirt back on. “Thank you.” he said.

            “You’re welcome.” You said and looked at the large rip in his shirt that was covered in blood. “You might want to change shirts.” You noted.

            Rick looked at the rip and nodded. “I’ll get to that.” He said.

  You cleaned up the rest of the kit and put it back where you found it. You handed the hatchet back to Rick and put your knife back in its holster. You got ready to head back to your house when Rick grabbed your arm gently.

            “Hey.” He said.

            You looked back at him. “What’s wrong?” you asked.

            “I told you to stay back at your house until it was safe.” He said calmly.

            “Rick I know but if I hadn’t gone out there you would have been bit.” You said.

            Rick gave you a stern look. “Y/N, I told you to stay back because there were too many of them out there.” He said.

            “And I handled myself, didn’t I?” you said.

            He looked at you for a minute. “What if you hadn’t? What if you got swarmed and couldn’t get out?” he asked, and you could have sworn that you heard a crack in his voice.

            You touched his arm gently. “Rick I’m okay. Next time I’ll listen okay?” you said, not wanting to press the matter any further.

            “Thank you.” he said. “I just couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you, especially on my watch.” He admitted.

            A small smile came across your face and you gave his arm a light squeeze. “Hey as long as I’m with you, I’ll be fine.” You said softly. “Why don’t you go get changed? I’ll go out there and help Rosita and Spencer.” You said.

            Rick nodded to you. “Okay.” He said.

  You gave him a smile and walked him outside. Rick waved to you and thanked you again before walking back to his house to change. You waved back and watched him as he walked away. He was awfully set on keeping you safe, and you figured it was just in his nature. Still, there was a part of you that hoped it was because of something else. You walked over to Rosita and Spencer and helped them and Abraham carry the walker bodies to the burn pile, trying to keep your mind off of Rick. Lately, though, that was proving to be impossible.


	8. An Accident?

            The next day, you woke up to knocking on your front door. It was louder than Rick’s knocking, so you wondered who it could be. You were only in pajama shorts and a tank top, so you grabbed a robe that had already been in the closet when you moved in. You put it on and ran down the stairs to open the door. When you opened it, you saw Daryl standing there.

            “Hey.” You said, crossing your arms over your chest to keep the robe closed.

            “Did I wake you up?” he asked, and you could tell that he was a little sheepish at the sight of you like this.

            “No, I was waking up already, I just wasn’t out of bed yet.” You lied. “What’s up?” you asked.

            “I’m goin’ on a run in a bit and Rick said it was okay to take you with me.” Daryl said.

            You stared at him for a moment. “Me?” you asked.

            Daryl nodded. “Mhmm.” He said. “You got a handle on that gun now, right?” he asked.

            “Rick hasn’t let me shoot real bullets yet.” You said softly.

            “Well d’you have a knife?” he asked.

            “Yeah.” You replied.

            “Then we’re good.” He said. “If you’re interested, be out by the cars in an hour.” Daryl said and then walked off of your porch, heading towards the cars.

  You bit your bottom lip and then shut your door. Rick was going to let you go on a run with Daryl? Maybe he wanted to make up for how he acted yesterday? Whatever his motives were, you were excited that he trusted you enough to go out on a run. You went upstairs and changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a white t-shirt. You put your hair in a French braid and pulled your boots on. After you had a banana and some eggs on toast, you headed towards the car, knife on your hip.

  When you got over to the cars, you saw Rick talking with Daryl. Rick had a stern look on his face, so you assumed he was telling Daryl to take care of you. You walked over and waved to both of them.

            “Morning.” You said.

            The both looked at you and Rick smiled. “Morning.” He said. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked.

            “I’ll be okay. I’ve got all the knowledge you’ve taught me and a pretty big knife.” You smirked.

            Rick nodded, trying to keep the smirk off of his face, but failed. “Alright, I’ll take your word.” He said. “It’s a quick job; you’re both just going to a mom-and-pop pharmacy and seeing what they have there. The place looks like a house, so it might have gone unnoticed. If there’s nothing there, then you’ll both come back here and move on with the day.” He said.

            “Okay, sounds easy enough.” You said. “Any special requests?” you asked.

            “Come back safe.” He said, putting a hand on your shoulder.

            You looked up at him and nodded, smiling. “Promise.” You said.

            Rick nodded and walked you to Daryl’s bike. “Take care of her, Daryl.”

            Daryl nodded, throwing his leg over the bike and sitting down. “You got it.” He said.

            You looked at the bike and then at Rick, and then at Daryl. “We’re taking that?” you asked.

            Daryl smirked. “Never been on a bike before?” he asked.

            You shook your head. “Nope.” You said.

            Rick smirked and nodded. “You can take down walkers, you can ride a bike.” He said.

            You nodded and got on the bike behind Daryl. You wrapped your arms around his waist a bit awkwardly. “Please don’t let me die.” You said.

            Daryl smirked and nodded. “Hold on tight, princess.” He teased before driving off.

  The hum of Daryl’s bike echoed through the town as the two of you rode down the Georgia roads. A tiny part of you felt guilty for being this close to Daryl when you really had feelings for Rick. However, Rick never told you that he had feelings for you, so technically you had no reason to feel guilty. The bike pulled to a stop in front of an old, Victorian looking house with a small sign next to the door that was barely legible. You got off of the bike and walked up to the door with Daryl.

            “Get ready in case anything comes out.” He said, preparing to get the door open with a crowbar.

            You nodded to him and grabbed your knife, ready to fight.

            Daryl opened the door and looked inside. There weren’t any walkers in the room, so he stepped inside, knocking the wall with his crowbar a few times.

            After a few moments of silence, you looked at Daryl. “So I guess it’s empty, then?”

            Daryl nodded. “Let’s hope so.” He said and headed around the corner to the medical cabinets. He got them opened and started putting all of the medicine bottles into his backpack.

            You looked over at him and walked towards him. “Do you need any help?” you asked him.

            “I got it. Go check upstairs and see if there’s anything else we can take.” He said.

            “Okay.” You said.

  You walked upstairs and saw four doors that were closed, two of them were locked. You opened the two unlocked doors and saw a bathroom behind one, and an office behind the other. You checked the bathroom cabinet but didn’t find anything. You looked at the two locked doors and thought about breaking them open. Your thoughts were interrupted by Daryl’s voice calling up the stairs.

            “Hey I got everything.” He said.

            You came downstairs and nodded. “There wasn’t anything up there unless there were things behind the locked doors.” You said.

            “Locked doors?” he asked. “Someone didn’t want us in there.” He said and grabbed the crowbar. He walked up the stairs and started playing with the first lock. He eventually got it open and pushed the door open.

  There was a dead man in a chair in the corner with a gunshot wound to the head. When you and Daryl looked in the room, you noticed a dead woman’s body on the bed in the room with an identical gunshot wound to the head. Next to her was a small boy’s body, same wound to the head. You stared for a moment before feeling your stomach turning. You put a hand over your mouth and went into the bathroom, getting sick in the toilet.

            Daryl walked over and handed you a wetted bandana to clean your mouth off. “I should have checked it first.” He said softly.

            You stood up and wiped your mouth with the bandana. “I didn’t know it would be that bad.” You said softly.

            “Let’s go.” He said and walked you downstairs.

  The two of you got on the bike and you held onto Daryl’s waist, trying to erase the image of the dead family from your head. As you both got closer to Alexandria, you started to feel better, knowing that you were almost home. While you rode, there was a gunshot and a loud pop from the back of the bike. Daryl lost control of the bike, and it drove into a ditch, falling to the ground.

            “What the hell was that?” Daryl asked, standing up slowly and looking around. Someone shot at the back tire of Daryl’s bike, causing the accident.

            “Daryl.” You groaned, feeling a pain in your leg.

            He looked down at you and lifted the bike off of your leg, revealing a large cut on your thigh. “Shit.” He muttered and grabbed his flannel from the side bag on his bike.

            You winced as you tried to sit up, reaching for your leg. “Is that an artery?” you asked.

            “I don’t think so.” He said and wrapped the shirt around your leg, tying it tightly. “Do you think you can walk?” he asked.

            You whimpered as he tied the shirt and nodded. “I’ll try.” You said.

            Daryl nodded and then stood up. “Just stay there for a second, I’m going to hide this.” He said and pulled his bike to the side, covering it in branches and leaves to hide it. He walked over to you and got the backpack on his back before he helped you stand up, holding your waist.

            You held onto the back of his shirt and limped with him towards Alexandria.

  There was about five miles between you and home and with every step, you lost felt weaker. The shirt stopped the majority of the bleeding, but you still bled a lot. Daryl pulled your arm around his shoulders and held your waist, basically carrying you. When you were about fifty yards outside of the gates, your legs started to give out.

            “Daryl, I can’t.” you said softly. “I can’t do it.” You breathed out.

            “Come on, it’s right there. You can do it, don’t give up on me now, Princess.” Daryl said, picking you back up.

            “I can’t do it Daryl.” You whimpered. The pain was becoming unbearable and all you wanted to do was sleep.

            “Then I’ll do it for you.” he mumbled and picked you up, bridal style.

  He walked all the way to the gates, holding you close the entire time. While he walked he kept talking to you to keep you awake. When he got outside the gates, he set you down on your feet gently.

            “Just stand for one minute.” He said to you before banging on the gate. “Open the gate! Y/N is hurt!” he yelled.

            You stood, holding onto Daryl’s shirt for support. The gates flew open and Rick was running over from his house. “Rick.” You said softly.

            Daryl held you up, looking to Rick and Maggie, who opened the gate. “The bike crushed her leg about five miles back, she lost a lot of blood.” He said.

            Rick got to you and picked you up immediately, and then ran as fast as he could to the infirmary. He laid you down on one of the cots while Carol and Eugene grabbed some medical supplies. “What happened?” he asked, trying not to sound as angry as he did.

            “It was an accident, Rick.” You said softly.

            Daryl was right behind Rick and spoke up. “Someone shot out my tire and we slid off the road. Her leg got stuck underneath the bike, but I don’t think it’s broken since she could limp on it.”

            Rick stood next to you and put his hand on your cheek. “Y/N? Look at me, you’re going to be fine. We’re going to get you fixed up, okay?”

            Your skin was pale and your eyes were heavy. You nodded to him and gave him a weak smile. “Okay.” You said softly.

  Rick started to become blurry and the sounds of Carol and Eugene’s voices began to get silent. The last thing you remember was Rick telling you he wasn’t going anywhere, and then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will happen to you?! 
> 
> I've mapped out a plan for this story, and have an ending set for it. I know, endings suck, but I'm totally not against writing a sequel if that is something you guys would be interested in. :)


	9. Waking Up

            When you woke up, you were still in the infirmary house. You were in a room that used to be a bedroom, but was now used like a hospital room. The bed you were in was comfortable, and there was a window in front of the bed that showed the streets of Alexandria. There was a light blanket over your lap and you were in a different shirt. You looked under the blanket and saw that you were in a pair of your pajama pants, and had a large bandage wrapped around your thigh. You sat up slowly and looked around the room. There was a glass of water with a single daisy in it, a note lying next to it. You smiled softly and picked it up gently.

            ‘Went to get some food, be back soon. –Rick’

  You smiled to yourself and set the note down. Just as you turned to get out of bed, Maggie appeared in the doorway, doing a slight double-take when she realized that you were awake.

            “You’re awake.” She smiled.

            “Yeah.” You said softly.

            “Rick’s on his way over, I saw him walking. I’ll go get him.” She said, and before you could say anything else, she was gone.

  You barely had time to move before you heard the front door open, then close, then open again, followed by Maggie’s voice, footsteps, and then Rick’s voice.

            “How long has she been awake?” he asked, entering the room.

            “Just a few minutes.” You smiled up at him.

            He smiled back, relief written all over his face. “You’re okay.” He said and sat on the bed next to you, putting a hand on your cheek gently. “How do you feel?” he asked.

            “My leg’s a little sore, but I’m fine.” You told him. The feeling of his hand on your cheek gave you butterflies.

            He nodded. “I’ll go get you some water and let Maggie have a look at your leg.” He said and stood up. He gave you another look before heading into the other room.

            Maggie walked over to the other side of your bed and moved the blanket back, checking your leg. “He hasn’t left your side in two days.” She said.

            It was your turn to do a double-take now. “Two days?” you asked.

            She nodded to you. “You were out for two days. Rick was worried sick about you, and Daryl kept beating himself up over it.”

            “It wasn’t his fault.” You sighed.

            “I know.” She said. She put the blanket back over your lap and smiled. “You’re healing nicely, and if you’re up to it, you can start walking whenever you’d like.” She said.

            You nodded. “Thanks, Maggie.” You said, and then a thought came to your head. Who changed you into your pajamas? “Hey Maggie?” you asked.

            “Yes?” she said.

            “How did I end up in different clothes?” you asked sheepishly.

            “I changed you with the help of Carol. Rick didn’t want to invade your privacy.” She said.

            You nodded, slightly relieved, and then saw Rick coming in with a bottle of water. “Thank you.” you said, taking it from him.

            “You’re welcome.” He said and sat on the chair next to your bed.

            “Her leg’s looking good. She can start walking whenever she’s ready.” Maggie said and walked out of the room.

            Rick nodded and looked back at you. As you drank the water bottle, he watched you with a mixture of relief and sadness on his face. “Do you remember anything?” he asked.

            You got through half of the water bottle and nodded. “I remember it all.” You told him.

            “Daryl said someone shot out his tire.” Rick said. “Did you see who it was?” he asked.

            You should your head. “I didn’t see anything. There was just a loud pop and then we skidded into a ditch.” You told him.

            Rick nodded and put his hand on yours. “Maggie went to get you some clothes. Once you get dressed, we’ll get you up and walking.” He said and stood up.

            “Rick?” you spoke up.

            “Yeah?” he looked down at you.

            “Thank you.” you said softly.

            He smiled at you and nodded. “You’re welcome.” He said.

  He walked out of the room leaving you alone for a minute until Maggie walked in with your clothes. She let you get dressed in a pair of jeans and one of your t-shirts. You sat on the bed and bit your bottom lip. You weren’t sure if you were going to be able to walk, but you were sure as hell going to try. After a few minutes, Rick walked into the room and smiled down at you.

            “You ready?” he asked.

            You nodded and held your hands out.

            Rick took your hands in his and helped you stand up. “Just take it slow.” He said softly.

            You felt your legs shaking underneath you, so you tightened your grip on Rick’s hands. Once you felt steady enough, you let go of one of his hands and walked with him out of the room, slowly but surely.

            Rick held your hand and helped you walk out of the room.

            “I think I’m getting the hang of this.” You smiled.

            “Good.” He smirked. “Do you want to get some fresh air?” he asked you.

            “Yeah.” You said softly.

  Rick walked you outside and stayed next to you the entire time. He walked at your pace to make sure that you weren’t rushed. While you walked, various members of the group came up and talked to you, asking you how you were and how you were feeling. After you got halfway around Alexandria, you took a deep breath.

            “What’s wrong?” Rick asked, putting his hand on your back.

            “Nothing, I just need to take a breather.” You said.

            “Okay, come over here.” He said and walked you to the porch of one of the houses. He helped you sit down gently and then looked at you. “Do you want me to get you some water?” he asked.

            You bit your lip and nodded. “Yes please.” You said.

            “Okay, are you alright staying here by yourself?” he asked.

            You nodded. “I’ll be okay.” You smiled.

            “I’ll be right back.” He said and walked over to his house since it was closer.

  You leaned back against the step behind you and stretched out your legs. The warmth of the sun on your skin felt incredible, and the gentle breeze helped even out the Georgia heat. As you were resting, you noticed Daryl walking by with his head down. You hadn’t spoken to him since the accident, and you knew that he felt horrible about all of it.

            “Daryl.” You called to him.

            He looked up at you and you could have sworn he winced.

            “Come here.” You said and waved him over.

            He hesitated but then walked over to you. “How’s your leg?” he asked.

            “It’s better.” You said. “I’ve been walking, Rick just went to get me some water.” You explained.

            Daryl nodded and pursed his lips before he spoke. “I’m sorry.” He said.

            You touched his hand gently. “Daryl, you don’t have anything to be sorry for.” You said. “You didn’t shoot out the tire. Plus you got me back here, didn’t you?”

            He nodded and looked down at his boots for a minute before he looked back up at you. “I’m glad you’re okay, Y/N.” he said.

            You smiled and nodded. “I am too.” You said and gave his hand a squeeze before you let go. “Did you get your bike back?”

            “I went and got it yesterday. I patched the hole so it should be good as new soon.” He said.

            “Good.” You said. You looked over and saw Rick walking up with a bottle of water. “Thank you.” you smiled up at him.

            “No problem.” He said and handed you the bottle of water. “We’ll walk back when you’re ready.” He said.

            Daryl looked down at you. “I’ll see you later.” He said and nodded to Rick before walking back to his house.

            You took a drink of the water and looked up at Rick. “Alright, I’m ready.” You said and stood up carefully.

            Rick touched your arm gently to make sure you were steady before he walked with you.

  He walked you to your house and got you situated inside. He made sure that you were okay with being left alone, and you insisted you were fine. When he finally accepted the fact that you were fine, just a little sore, you walked him to the door.

            “Rest up today, and then we’ll get you back into the job rotations tomorrow, okay?” Rick said.

            You nodded. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do today?” you asked him.

            Rick smirked and nodded. “I appreciate your eagerness, but you need to rest today. We’ll get you working tomorrow.” He said.

            “Okay.” You smiled. “Thank you again, for taking care of me and being patient with me.” You said.

            Rick nodded. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” He said sincerely, touched your arm gently. “Get some rest, Y/N.” he said and walked out of the house.

  You watched him leave and then headed to the bathroom to take a shower. You had had a rough couple of days, and the feeling of the water on your skin would feel great. You were glad to be getting back into the swing of things, and couldn’t wait to get back to work. Part of you still wondered who could have shot out Daryl’s tire, and you wondered whether or not it was intentional. Maybe there was something other than walkers that you needed to worry about.


	10. Protective

            It had been a few days since you woke up, and you were slowly getting back into the swing of things. You still had some leg pain here and there, but it was getting less and less. Instead of your normal tasks, Rick had you helping Maggie with some of the easier tasks around Alexandria. One day, while you were helping her with some of the gardening, she looked out at the garden and put her hand on her hip.

            “I’ve been thinking about expanding our crop area. If we take that wall back a little bit, we can plant more.” Maggie said. “We’ll have to clear out the area behind the wall first.” She noted.

            You looked over at her and nodded. “I can help you clear it out.” You said.

            “Are you sure you’re up for that?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at you. Since you got there, Maggie was like a big sister to you. After the accident, she really took you under her wing.

            “Yeah, I’m okay.” You smiled. “I’ll put this stuff back in the shed; you can go tell Rick the plan.” You said.

            “Okay. Be careful.” Maggie said and headed towards Rick’s house.

  You grabbed the gardening tools and put them in the basket where they were kept. You carried the basket on your hip, heading towards the shed. You put the basket in the shed and headed towards Rick’s house to meet Maggie. When you got there, you saw Carl playing with Judith on the porch.

            “Hey, Y/N.” he said and waved to you.

            You smiled and waved back. “Hey.” You said. “Enjoying the weather?” you asked.

            “I don’t think I’m enjoying it as much as Judith is.” He joked.

            You walked over and squatted down next to them. “Hi sweetheart.” You smiled to Judith.

            She clapped her hands and handed you some of her toys.

            The door opened and you saw Maggie and Rick coming out, finishing a conversation. You stood up and smiled over at them, waiting to hear if Rick was okay with Maggie’s plan.

            Maggie smiled over at you. “Ready?” she asked.

            Rick furrowed his brow at her and then looked at you. “Wait ready for what?”

            “I told Maggie that I would help her clear the area.” You told him.

            “No.” Rick said sternly.

            Maggie looked at Rick and then at you.

            “Why, no?” you asked him.

            “You’re not going out there with an injury.” Rick told you.

            You looked at him. “Rick, I’m doing a lot better, it’s nothing I can’t handle.” You argued.

            “You’re not going out there.” Rick said. “End of story.” He added and headed to the guard tower to take the next shift, not giving you a chance to argue anymore.

            Maggie looked at you and bit her bottom lip. “Maybe he’s right, there’s going to be a lot of leg work, and I don’t want your stitches to pop open or anything.” She said.

            “Maggie…” you started.

            “You can help me out tomorrow, or go with Glenn and Rosita on a run tomorrow.” She said.

            You sighed and nodded. “Okay.” You said and headed to your house.

  You appreciated the fact that Rick was looking out for you, but you were still a little frustrated that he didn’t believe you about how much better you were doing. Maybe he was right though, maybe you shouldn’t be pushing yourself so hard. You took a shower and got dressed, then did some straightening up around your house. Eventually, it came time for dinner, so you walked over to Carol’s house to help her cook. You knocked on the door and waited for her to answer.

            The door opened and Carol smiled at you. “Hey, Y/N.” she said. “I hope you’re here to help me cook.” She joked.

            “Of course.” You smiled and walked in with her.

            “Daryl got us a bunch of deer meat, so I was thinking of doing some deer meat steaks.” Carol explained. “They won’t be real steaks, but it’s nice to pretend sometimes.” She winked and walked into the kitchen where the aroma of cooked meat filled the room.

            “That sounds really good.” You smiled. “Anything I can help with?” you asked her.

            “Would you mind washing and cutting up those vegetables?” she asked you, pointing to a large bowl on the counter with carious vegetables from the garden.

            “Not at all.” You said and walked over, washing your hands first. You began rinsing the vegetables while Carol got the meat ready.

            “So how did today go with Maggie?” Carol asked you, breaking the silence of the kitchen.

            You looked over your shoulder at her and then shrugged. “It went alright, until we asked Rick about some expansion plans.” You said and turned the faucet off.

            “Expansion?” Carol asked.

            You nodded and put the vegetable bowl on the island in the center of the kitchen. “Maggie thought we could extend the wall out so we can have more crop space. She asked Rick and he said it was fine, but refuses to let me help her clear the area behind the wall.” You said, grabbing a cutting board and a knife.

            “That’s Rick for ya.” Carol smiled softly at you. “I know it seems annoying right now, but he’s just doing what’s best for you. You’ve still got stitches in your leg and if those pop open, there could be trouble.”

            You nodded and began chopping the vegetables. “I get that.” You said. “I just wish I could do more to help.” You said.

            Carol nodded. “Well, tomorrow morning when you get your leg checked on, if Maggie takes your stitches out, I’m sure you could go on the run.”

            “I hope so.” You said and got the cut vegetables into another bowl.

            “As for Rick, he’s just watching out for you because he cares about you.” Carol reminded you.

  Before you could respond, there was a knock on the door. The members of the group started showing up for dinner, and you helped set the table while Daryl took over cutting the meat. As you were setting the table, you heard Rick’s voice coming from behind you.

            “Here, let me help you.” he said.

            You looked back at him and shook your head. “I got it, it’s not that big of a deal.” You said.

            “Should you be doing all of this with your leg?” he asked you.

            “You mean the leg that hasn’t hurt all day? Yeah, I’m sure.” You said with a hint of annoyance in your tone.

            Rick clenched his jaw and looked at you. “Fine.” He said and walked back out to the living room area.

  When you finished setting the table, Carol called everyone in to eat. Everyone ate their meal and talked amongst themselves about various things, just like every other dinner. You talked to Maggie about the expansion of the crops, even if you weren’t allowed to help her. When the meal was finished, Rosita and Tara took the cleanup, so you walked out onto Carol’s porch to get some air. You sat on the porch swing and moved it gently with your leg which was parked on the porch. You started to think about life before the outbreak hit, which you had refused to think about until today. You missed you family and your house, you missed your friends and your college classes, you missed everything. Your thoughts were interrupted when the front door opened and Rick walked out and over to you.

            “Mind if I have a seat?” he asked you.

            You shook your head and stopped the swing’s movement so he could sit down.

            He sat next to you and let out a sigh. “What a day.” He mumbled, almost to himself.

            You nodded and played with the hem of your shirt. For the first time, you were unsure of what to say to Rick. You certainly didn’t like that feeling one bit.

            “Maggie said if your leg is healed well enough, she’ll take your stitches out tomorrow.” He said.

            You nodded. “That’s what Carol said.” You said softly.

            He nodded and looked over at you. “Y/N, I’m only looking out for you.” he said.

            “I know.” You said and looked over at him. “I hate to admit it, but you were probably right about today and helping Maggie.” You said, trying to make him smile.

            He smirked and nodded. “I’m always right.” He winked.

            You smiled and shook your head. “Yeah, sure.” You teased and looked ahead of you. “I think I’m gonna call it a night, I’m beat.” You said and stood up from the swing.

            “I’ll meet you at the infirmary tomorrow to get your leg checked out.” Rick said.

            You nodded and looked back at him. “Goodnight, Rick.” You said and waved to him.

            “Night.” He said to you and waved back.

  You walked to your house and went inside, letting out a sigh. You were hoping that if you got your stitches out the next day, he would ease up a little bit and let you do more. Little did you know, he wasn’t anywhere near ready to ease up.


	11. Confrontation

            When you woke up the next day, you could hardly wait to get over to the infirmary so Maggie could check on your stitches. You were more than ready to get them out and get back to going on runs with the group. After you got some shorts and a t-shirt on, you slid your boots on and grabbed an apple, heading over to the infirmary. As you walked, you took a bite of your apple, wiping the juices from your chin with the back of your hand.

            “Y/N.” a voice called from behind you.

            You turned and saw Rick walking over to you. “Hey. I was just heading to the infirmary to meet Maggie.” You said.

            “Yeah she said she was on her way over. I’ll walk you over there.” Rick said and walked next to you. “How is your leg?” he asked.

            “It’s better.” You said, walking towards the infirmary. “Once she takes the stitches out, can I go on the run with you guys today?”

            Rick bit his bottom lip and looked ahead at the infirmary where Maggie was standing on the porch waiting for you both. “Hey, are you ready?” he asked, changing the subject.

            You looked at him and then at Maggie, forcing a smile on your face. “I’m ready for these things to come out.” You said.

            “Well let’s get it checked out and then we’ll see about getting them out.” Maggie smiled and let you and Rick inside.

  Maggie grabbed a few supplies and got a bed set up for you. Rick helped you onto the bed and stood back so he wasn’t in the way. While Maggie gathered the supplies to clean your wound and take the stitches out if they were ready. You tapped your foot mindlessly as you waited for her to get started.

            “Can you pull your shorts up just a little?” Maggie asked, turning to you with an alcohol swab.

            “Sure.” You said and pulled the fabric of your shorts up to reveal the top of your injury. “Is that gonna sting?” you asked softly.

            “It will probably sting quite a bit.” Maggie said with apologetic eyes.

            You nodded and looked over at Rick, holding your hand out.

            Rick smirked and walked over, taking your hand in his and standing next to the bed. “Squeeze as tightly as you’d like.” He said.

            You nodded and held onto his hand, nodding to Maggie.

  She cleaned the wound gently, and as soon as the swab hit your cut, you winced, squeezing Rick’s hand. You closed your eyes tightly and tried to think of anything but the stinging pain on your thigh.

            “I’m sorry, it’s almost done.” Maggie said, taking the swab off. “Okay, that’s it.” She said.

            You let out a breath that you didn’t realize you were holding, and let go of Rick’s hand. “Thank you.” you said. “Can the stitches come out?”

            Rick looked at the cut and then at Maggie. “It doesn’t quite look ready to me.” He said.

            “Rick.” You said, almost sounding annoyed.

            Maggie gave a small smile and looked at your wound again. “They can come out as long as she’s ready. We can put some small bandages on there to keep it from opening, but it’s looking good.”

            You smiled at Rick and then at Maggie. “Take ‘em on out.” You said and tried to keep still.

            Rick sighed and nodded, walking to the other side of the bed so he was out of the way again.

  Maggie grabbed a few tools and began taking the stitches out. Besides a few tugs here and there, the stitch removal was quite painless. When she was finished, she smiled up at you.

            “Good as new.” She said. “Let me put a few small butterfly bandages on there to keep things secure and then you can go.” She said and put the tools in the sink to be cleaned.

            “Thank you so much.” She said.

            “I can get the bandages.” Rick offered and grabbed the box from one of the cabinets.

  You watched as Rick walked to the cabinets and then walked back, examining the box of bandages. He dumped them onto the bed next to you so he could get to them easier. He got one opened and gently put it onto your cut.

            “Here.” You said and opened the other ones for him.

            “Thank you.” he smirked and put the bandages on your cut as you opened them.

            You loved the way that his rough hands were so gentle when he touched you. He treated you like you were going to break at any moment.

            “Last one.” He said and put the last bandage on and looked at you. “You’re good to go.”

            You smiled and almost leapt off of the bed. “Thank God!” you said and threw away the bandage garbage. “So can I…” you started.

            “I’m going to get Glenn and Rosita prepped for the run. Will you go tell Daryl to meet me at the gate?” Rick said, looking at you as he headed for the door.

            “Rick…” you said.

            “Thank you.” he said and disappeared out the door.

            You sighed and looked at Maggie for any sort of advice.

            “He’ll come around.” She said and pat you on the shoulder gently.

  You walked out of the infirmary and headed toward Daryl’s house to tell him where to meet Rick. When you got there, Daryl was walking out of the house with his crossbow on his shoulder. He looked over at you and walked down the porch stairs.

            “Did Maggie take your stitches out?” Daryl asked you.

            You nodded and gave him a soft smile. “Yep.” You said, walking towards him and stopping in front of him.

            “I thought you’d be doing flips after you got ‘em out.” He said.

            You shrugged some. “I would, but I don’t think Officer Grimes will let me.” You said, almost mumbling.

            Daryl looked over at you with an eyebrow raised. “He still got the reigns around you?” he asked.

            “Yeah.” You said. “Speaking of Rick, he wants you to meet him by the gates.” You said.

            “Why?” he asked.

            You shrugged. “Maybe it’s about the run.” You suggested.

            Daryl nodded. “Walk with me.” He said and walked towards the gates.

            You looked at him and followed him, catching up to him and letting out a sigh. “I don’t get why he won’t let me do anything. I’m doing just fine.” You said.

            “He just cares about you.” Daryl said. “He lost a lot of people…probably doesn’t want you to be another.” He noted.

            You looked at Daryl for a moment and then looked ahead as the two of you got to the gates. Why was everyone telling you that? Not too far back, you were just a stranger in some house that he found. Now he cares all about you?

  When you got to the gates, you put your hands on your hips as Rick talked to Daryl about watching Alexandria while he went on the run. Daryl nodded and headed back towards the houses. Glenn and Rosita were already in the truck and Rick turned to you and opened his mouth to speak, but you interrupted him.

            “Can I go on the run? My stitches are out and I’m doing fine.” You said.

            Rick sighed and looked at you. “Y/N, I don’t want you out there. I’m not going to let you go out there.”

            “Let me?” you snapped. “What makes you think that you’re in control of me?” you asked, crossing your arms.

            “I don’t control you, but if you’re going to stay here, you’re going to follow my rules.” Rick said to you.

            “Oh that is such a crock of shit.” You said. “You haven’t let me do anything since the accident; I’m not this fragile little infant that you need to constantly protect.”

            Rick looked at you and clenched his jaw before he spoke again. “This conversation is over.” He said and got into the driver’s seat of the truck.

            “No it isn’t, Rick.” You said and stood next to the driver’s door, speaking in the window. “We’re not done, and when you get back I want answers, damn it.” You spat.

            Rick looked at you and took a deep breath. “Fine.” He said and motioned for Eugene to open the gate. “When I get back.” He said.

  You watched as Rick drove the truck out of the gates which closed soon after the truck was out of sight. You shook your head and walked in the direction that Daryl headed to see if you could help him. As you walked, you kept replaying the words that you and Rick spoke to each other. Maybe you were a little harsh? No, you weren’t being harsh, you wanted answers and you had every right to get them. You sighed, hoping that your minor dictator moment towards Rick didn’t alter his image of you. If anything, you hoped that it made him realize that you could be a leader too. You got a few jobs from Daryl to keep you occupied while you waited for Rick to get back so you could talk to him. You contemplated apologizing to him, but at the same time, you were in the right. Right? Maybe you would see how the conversation went before you apologize. Good plan. Now all you had to do was wait.


	12. The Truth

It had been a couple of hours since Rick left on the run, and you were getting nervous about your talk with him. You had been helping Daryl with a few odd jobs and helped Maggie start the clearing of the new crop area. When you walked back towards your house to get a water bottle, you saw the gate open and the truck pull in with Rick in the driver’s seat. The very moment you saw him, your stomach dropped to your feet and you felt your nerves picking up. You walked to your house and went inside before he could see you.

            You grabbed a bottle of water and sighed, taking a drink. “You wanted this, Y/N, why are you so nervous?” you spoke to yourself. “It’s just Rick, you know Rick and you like Rick.” You said and then bit your bottom lip. “You like Rick.” You said again, but softer this time.

  You drank your water and worked up enough courage to go meet with Rick. As you headed for the door, you heard a knock and your heartbeat picked up. After a few deep breaths, you opened the door and let out a sigh of relief when you saw Glenn standing there.

            “Hey, Rick wants to see you.” he said.

            “Oh, okay.” You said. “Where is he?” you asked.

            “He said to meet him at his house whenever you’re ready.” Glenn said.

            “Okay, thanks.” You said.

            “No problem.” He said and walked off to meet up with Maggie.

  You took a deep breath and walked over to Rick’s house. You walked up the porch steps and felt your stomach doing flips. You knocked gently and bit your bottom lip, trying to calm yourself down. After a few minutes, the door opened and Carl stood there, holding Judith in his arms.

            “Hey, Y/N.” he said.

            “Hey, is your dad around?” you asked.

            “He’s upstairs changing, but you can wait inside.” He said and let you inside. “I’m taking Judith for a walk; can you let my dad know?” Carl asked.

            “Sure.” You smiled.

            “Thanks. See you later.” He said and waved to you, walking out of the house.

  You waved back to him and sat on the couch. Now that you were here, you started to feel your nerves calming down. Just as you got comfortable, you heard footsteps coming down the stairs followed by Rick’s voice.

            “Where’d Carl go?” he asked.

            Nerves are back. “Uh he went for a walk with Judith.” You said and stood up off of the couch.

            Rick nodded and put his hands on his hips. “So you wanted to talk?” he asked.

            You nodded and bit your bottom lip. “I want to know why you’re so strict on me. Ever since the accident, you haven’t let me do much to help around here or anything. When I ask to help you just avoid the subject or ignore me and I’m sick of it. Maggie said her father lost his leg and you let him do things. Why are you so protective over me?” you asked, catching your breath.

            Rick looked at you and shrugged lightly. “Because I care about you.” he said simply.

            You looked at him and opened your mouth to argue with him, but you realized what he just said. “You…you what?” you asked.

            “I care about you, Y/N. I probably care about you more than I should, but I can’t help it.” Rick said.

            “Well I care about you too, I care about everyone here, but that doesn’t mean I can boss them around and keep them hidden from the world.” You said, crossing your arms.

            “Y/N.” Rick said with a smile threatening the corners of his lips. “I care about you more than I care about Glenn or Eugene.” He said, raising his eyebrows trying to get you to understand what he was getting at.

            You looked at him for a minute. “Why? I just got here.” You said trying to figure out what he was saying. Was he getting at what you thought he was getting at?

            Rick rubbed the back of his neck and sighed softly. “I thought it was kind of obvious.” He said.

            You looked at him for a minute and put your hands at your side. Obvious? Well _obviously_ it wasn’t that obvious if you hadn’t noticed whatever he was talking about. “Wait.” You said, coming to the realization of what he was talking about; He liked you. All those times that you could have sworn that he was staring at you, the reason he got so freaked out over the accident, maybe even the reason he decided to take you in. Rick liked you and he was trying to tell you that.

            “Maybe I should show you.” Rick said and stepped forward so he was standing right in front of you.

            “Sh-show me?” you tried to say, but it ended up as a whisper.

            Rick nodded and put his hands on the sides of your neck, leaning down and placing his lips against yours.

            Your eyes stayed open for a moment until you processed what was happening; he was kissing you. You closed your eyes and returned the kiss, putting your hands on his chest gently. When he pulled away for air, you looked up at him. “Oh.”

            “Oh?” Rick smirked.

            “It wasn’t a bad oh, I just…I get what you were trying to tell me.” You said softly.

            “Oh.” He said and smiled. He pushed a stray wisp of hair behind your ear and rubbed your cheek softly. “I’m sorry for kind of throwing this at you like that.” He said.

            “Don’t be sorry.” You said. “I’m sorry for snapping at you, I just thought that you were…I don’t know what I thought, I just wanted to understand I guess.” You explained.

            Rick nodded. “Well now you know.” He said. “I was scared to let you out there with me, and then for him to bring you back bleeding and pale as a ghost, I was terrified. I think that’s what kind of made me realize what I was feeling.” He said.

            “Really?” you asked him. “How so?” you asked.

            He shrugged and sat on the couch, letting you sit next to him. “When I first met you, I saw this scared young woman who I didn’t think would survive much longer the way she was going.”

            “Gee, thanks.” You teased, smirking at him.

            Rick smirked and nodded, looking at his lap. “Then when I brought you here, I saw how you were with everyone and how easily they accepted you. Something about you is so warm and mesmerizing.” Rick said and looked at you. “I thought that maybe I was just stuck in a hero syndrome, but as I got to know you, the feelings I had grew stronger and stronger. I kept trying to tell myself that it was just the excitement of a new woman here and that I was too old for you.” he said sheepishly.

            You smiled softly and shook your head. “You’re not too old for me, Rick.” You reassured him.

            He nodded and smirked. “Well thank you.” he said. He shook his head some and leaned back on the couch. “When you came back that day with Daryl, I couldn’t deny what I was feeling. The fear I had when I saw you that way, and the anger I had for whoever shot out the tires; I knew that what I felt for you was more than just caring. I liked you and there wasn’t any way around it.” He said.

            You nodded and bit your bottom lip. “I kind felt the same way. I was worried that I was falling for the forbidden fruit or something.” You admitted and looked at your hands.

            Rick looked at you. “Why would I be forbidden fruit?” he asked.

            “Well Carl told me what happened with Jessie and I didn’t want to—’’

            “Jessie’s gone.” Rick said simply. “Besides that wasn’t anything serious anyway.” He said and looked at his hands. “I guess that sounds kind of harsh.”

            You looked at him. “Well as long as you’re okay and you’ve moved on and everything.” You said softly.

            “I am, and I have.” Rick said and looked at you. “I really do like you, Y/N.” he said and leaned in, kissing you gently again.

            You kissed back and smiled up at him. “I really like you too, Rick.” You said softly. “So where does that leave us?” you asked him.

            “Well I’d like to see you a lot more.” He said, putting his hand on yours. “Maybe you could move in here, if you’d like.” He said softly.

            You smiled and held his hand gently. “Rick, I’d love to move in and stay here with you, but maybe we should wait. I mean what if Carl hates this idea?” you asked softly. “I don’t want to come between you and him, that’s not my intention at all.”

            Rick kissed the back of your hand. “Carl will be fine with it.” He said. “But if you want to wait, we’ll wait.” He said. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow and then we can meet up.” He said.

            “Thank you.” you said and smiled softly.

            “Thank you.” Rick said.

            “For what?” you asked.

            “Not thinking I’m crazy or thinking I’m moving too quickly or anything.” Rick said. “I know it was kind of sudden.” He added.

            “It’s not that sudden.” You said. “I mean we’ve known each other for a month now. Plus, these days you have to take chances and not waste any time.” You added.

            Rick nodded and smiled softly at you. “I guess that’s our new reality.” He said.

            You nodded and smiled. “I better head home to clean up before dinner.” You said.

            Rick stood up with you and walked you to the door. He wrapped his arms around you, hugging you close. “I’ll see you later, okay?” he asked.

            You hugged him back and smiled up at him, nodding. “Okay.”

            “I’m sorry for getting so protective over you.” Rick said. “I was kind of being an ass.” He said.

            “No, Rick you were just looking out for someone you care about. I would have done the same thing. You just wouldn’t have listened to me.” You smirked.

            Rick smiled and nodded. “Yeah, probably not.” He said. “I’ll see you later, Y/N.” he said and kissed you.

            You kissed back and smiled. “See you later.” You said.

  You walked out of Rick’s house and walked towards your own to get showered and changed before dinner. When you got inside, you let out a content and happy sigh. When you headed over to Rick’s that day, you were scared of what was going to happen. You had no idea that this would be the outcome, not that you were complaining. Rick liked you and Rick kissed you. I suppose if this was a pre-apocalypse thing, you two would be dating. The only thing that worried you was what Carl would think. You were only six years older than him, so maybe you being with his dad would be a little weird for him. Although, he did say that you made Rick happy, so maybe he was okay with it already.

  After you took your shower, you got a pair of shorts on and a V-neck t-shirt. Just as you put your shoes on, you heard a loud crash followed by yelling and gun shots. You looked outside and saw that some walkers had broken into the small barrier you and Maggie had set up to block out the new crop area.

            “Shit.” You mumbled as you grabbed your knife.

  You ran outside to help Aaron, Daryl, and Maggie, who had all started to take out the walkers that broke in. I guess you got to help today after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I hope you guys like it! :3


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